Our Place
by MistressOfRobins
Summary: In which Dick Grayson and Wally West babysits Lian Nguyen-Harper, which leads to emotional talks and a very unexpected, unusual proposal. Wally/Dick. BirdFlash one-shot.


**Note: **This isn't canon Invasion. But some factors have been added. Dick is 24, Wally is 26.

**Disclaimer: **Charaters/Show Not Mine!

**AN: **This is for Val-Creative who wanted Dick and Wally to babysit Lian for her prize at the Review Lottery! Oh and Happy Birthday, sweetie! I'm glad I got this up for your birthday! I hope you like it - even though it took more of an emotional route than a humorous one - and talk to you later! *hugs*

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**-o-**

**Our Place  
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**-o-  
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"The formula is in the lowest shelf to the right for the fridge; if she gets hungry, my number is also on the fridge, and Wally I swear if you lose it I'll cut you open with my arrows, so _Dick_ is the only one who is allowed to get _near_ it. When I think about it, don't get near the fridge at all, West. Just try not to break anything."

The speedster fumed, green eyes glaring over at Roy whom he was surprised hadn't protested about the fact, that it was _he_ who was holding his precious little girl against his chest. He snorted, and turned his attention to the baby instead. He'd heard enough of Roy's babbling to last an entire life-time.

Dick, although both younger and shorter, was the one the archer directed himself to when he was seconds from leaving. Said acrobat couldn't keep back a laugh. "Calm down, _Speedy_. She's an angel, and we're professionals. _Go_."

A nasty glare was sent his way as Roy readied his bow, straightened up and then glanced behind his shoulder. "Are you certain-"

"Roy, _dude_, now you got to _chill_, okay!" Wally called from the couch as he gently rocked baby Lian against his chest, a goofy smile making its appearance when she gripped his finger. "You _really_ think we'd let anything happen to this little angel?" The redhead glanced up at the older male and flashed a big grin. "Have fun on your _date_."

"It's _not_ a date, West. It's called a _mission_," the archer spat, before motioning for Wally to get up and come over with his daughter.

The speedster just grinned without responding and then did as Roy wanted, gently handing Lian over to her father's strong arms. Roy looked at her, and for a moment Wally and Dick knew they were witnessing a side of Roy Harper he rarely gave away. They had seen it a couple of times before, so it didn't catch them _completely_ off guard, but it was still quite a sight.

He served his daughter a kiss on the forehead, and gently stroked her cheek, before once more returning the baby to Wally's arms. Roy glared and then he turned to Dick giving him another list. All Wally could do was snort. "Watch her."

Overprotective fathers. Was he _ever_ going to be able to avoid them? Probably not.

Shaking his head, the speedster returned to the couch.

Dick's characteristic smirk was planted on his face as he watched Roy exit his apartment, and he didn't turn until he was absolutely certain the archer would not come running back. It wouldn't be the first time Roy did so just to give some final instructions. Frankly, it was starting to get old.

This had to be the tenth time they were babysitting his baby girl, but it never seemed to ease the archer's resentment for leaving her in the care of someone else. It caused the former Boy Wonder to sigh. Then he sent Wally a small smile. "She's good for him," the acrobat admitted, lightly shaking his head.

"So is Kal," grinned the speedster, absently playing with the baby's fingers. She giggled as he fought her with them, her hand coming down to swat it away. Wally raised an eyebrow at one particular swing of her hand that actually made the digit hurt somewhat. "You're one little naughty ninja, aren't you?"

"Well, you know whose child she is." Dick plopped down beside him, effectively moving his legs up in Wally's lap. He then took Lian from his arms and placed her on his firm stomach, his hands holding her up by the arms, which caused her to giggle. "Though how Roy and _Cheshire_ conceived such a lovely thing is beyond me."

Wally smiled and gently started massaging his boyfriend's feet. Dick gave him a wink which clearly stated that this would be beneficial for him later on. Roy would most likely not be back before six in the morning, but the naughty parts would have to wait till they were done babysitting. Once Lian was safely tucked into bed and fast asleep, they would have a couple of hours to finally get some alone time together; stimulating activities or not, it would be great just being in each other's presence.

"Well, dude, her parents both got the _looks_."

"Really? Because I think Cheshire's hair looks like a nest."

Wally snickered. "Well, Lian's got Roy's so she's gonna do _juuust _fine." He reached over and stroked a hand over her slight red haired head. "Aren't you, little ninja? Gonna break the hearts of aaaall the boys! Well if your Daddy ever lets you near them. Roy's become such an overprotective ass lately."

"Wally, don't curse in front of a baby." Dick teasingly scolded.

"Dude, she's just eight months old!"

"It's the principle."

"Pft, since when did you become such a Mommy Dearest?" Emerald green eyes were playful as he watched Dick lightly let the baby play with his hand. She was biting on it, but as Nightwing he'd felt so much worse that he hardly took notice. He didn't answer the question, just pursed his lips lightly and instead turned his attention to Lian.

An eyebrow raised in his direction; Dick could feel it. Wally was studying him with an intense interest the dark haired man couldn't recall seeing on his face for a long time. He ignored it though and continued to play with Lian who wriggled happily across his stomach, trying, unsuccessfully to catch his wriggling fingers.

"How do you think Kal feels about her?" Wally asked after several moments with only Lian's giggles echoing through the room. His hand was gently stroking Dick's calf. By now the acrobat had grabbed Lian's plush-cat for her to hold (yes, it was striped and looked like a replica of the one used in Alice in Wonderland, ergo the Cheshire Cat and Wally found it pretty damn corny Roy would give her such a thing).

"Kaldur...? Heh, as much Roy as I see in her I think he can't do anything but love her." Dick smiled as she bit into the cat, giggling when it made a squeaky noise. "But I think he'd love her anyway."

There it was again; that small edge on Dick's tone that he hadn't noticed before they started babysitting her. It wasn't a regular thing, because sometimes it would take weeks at a time before they saw her, but when they _did_- well, _that_ happened. Wally wasn't stupid, contrary to popular belief amongst villains and strangers. He was starting to get what this was about.

Dick's dark blue eyes were tender as he played with her, composure alert as if he was ready to jump into the superhero-gig, when really it was so he could protect her if necessary. It was fascinating. He knew what Nightwing's hands – what his _own_ hands were capable of – and yet when being in contact with her each movement, each single flicker of a finger, was _cautious_.

Lian yawned softly, head dipping somewhat. Dick positioned her so that she was lying with her head tucked under his chin, her small hands tightly clutching his black T-shirt. Wally's expression softened as he studied her, but he quickly turned his eyes to Dick when the acrobat spoke: "You think Cheshire intentionally gave her an Asian name?"

"I… guess?" Wally frowned. "Is it Vietnamese?"

"No."

"Oh?"

"Chinese. It means Lotus Flower."

The speedster smiled. "Fits her."

"Yeah, and it's the national flower of Vietnam. S'why I'm wondering if – no, I'm actually pretty sure – Cheshire had it in mind when she named her."

It was interesting how Dick pondered over such small details Wally just never bothered wrapping his mind around. He tilted his head to the side and sent a glance over Lian's way. She was falling asleep. "Should we get her to bed?"

"Don't really know…" Dick murmured, his thumb lightly nudging her cheek. "Still kinda early. She'll just wake up soon anyway because she's hungry. Just turn on the TV; I wanna see Gotham kick Metropolis' ass."

"Now who's using bad words?" Wally stuck his tongue out and Dick returned the favour with a light cackle. The speedster went over to the television, lightly kicking it when hitting the 'on' button proved useless. It gave off some static signals for a while, before finally showing off a picture even Wally's grandparents' TV could outdo.

"I just don't get why he doesn't accept the fact that we wanna help him with the money problem." Wally pursed his lips. "I mean, come on, your Bat Daddy is _loaded_. He wouldn't mind you using some to get Roy back on his feet."

Dick peered over at the redhead, deciding not to comment on the fact that calling Bruce his _Bat Daddy_ was rather irritating. Instead he shrugged his shoulders and said: "I gave Roy the offer; he refused. I hadn't expected anything else."

Of course not. Roy was a stubborn as a mule; no, _more_ stubborn than a mule. A mule was an obedient dog in comparison. Sighing, Wally returned to his previous spot, once more tugging Dick's feet up in his lap. The acrobat shifted a bit, his arm wrapped around the sleeping baby while the other supported his chin, elbow resting on the armrest.

The silence in the room was comfortable. Both men listened to the referee with a mild interest, Wally more than Dick, even though it was the latter who had proposed to see the game at all. Intently, Dick kept half of his attention on Lian.

"Aaand, that's gonna cost them a goal."

Wally was right. The ball was taken by Metropolis swiftly after the amateur mistake on Gotham's team. Dick sighed. "Rayners. He's such a show-off."

"Wouldn't last a minute in our –_your _field of work," Wally mused. "Speaking of teamwork… Haven't seen yours around lately."

"No. Guess we've all been busy, and crime's been unusually slow too."

"Hm yeah."

Silence again. This time it had an awkward touch, as if they both longed to say something. In Dick's case he kind of did, but he wasn't quite sure _what_ exactly. Just…_ something_. The Team was changing – _they_ were changing. Wally was trying to find out what to do, something Dick could relate to. He had gone through the same emotional process just a couple of years ago when he'd decided to hand the Robin mantle over to Jason and become Nightwing.

It had been hard times. Especially after Jason's death. He and Bruce had been quarrelling far more than actually getting along until Tim came. The kid proved himself, got the mantle and now things were back on track. For _him_.

For Wally things were getting complicated. He wasn't a kid anymore and therefore had put Kid Flash away. But he wasn't _the Flash _either; he simply wasn't a hero anymore. Dick could tell he missed it, and yet he also knew Wally didn't long to get out in the field again. Insistently he had tried to question him, tried to understand the mixed feelings he had about not being a hero and _being_ a hero, but Wally had no good answer.

He was having an inner battle with himself; Dick wished he could help him through it, but the redhead didn't want to talk about the subject. Therefore Nightwing had concluded that he would be back in the game – if he ever decided to – when he was ready. For now, they were just happy being together.

And Dick had truly mastered the art of balancing his life. Every moment he didn't spend studying, or hero-ing, he would spend with Wally. Because being with Wally eased him; made him forget the stress of being the Leader of the Team. Of being part of the super hero community at all. Wally was like one, big stress-reliever of fun and _love_.

Apart they weren't the same people they had been ten years ago; together, they actually were. With a tad bit more maturity, of course.

The hours passed with just some small talk, the awkwardness decreasing and being replaced by just comfortable warmth of being close. Then, after Lian was given her meal and put to bed, they were alone in the worn-down apartment.

Dark blue eyes were glancing all over the ceiling, and the walls, but Wally knew Dick's ears were perked, just in case Lian would start crying. It made the speedster smile. He was sure the younger man had no idea he was acting this way.

"We need to do some painting around here," Dick mused after a long while, frown evident on his face. "I don't care if he says no; it's starting to look _bad_."

Wally agreed, his own eyes scurrying over the apartment. "Maybe we could paint Lian's room too. Pink?"

Grimacing Dick nudged him. "We're gonna be _that_ stereotypical?"

"Right. Uhm, green?"

"Depends… Should be a light green colour."

"Yeah…"

They stopped themselves and a small smile made its way to Wally's lips. Gently, he took Dick's hand, ignoring the way the acrobat raised an eyebrow at him, and then guided them through the corridor. They passed Lian's door, which had been deafly quiet ever since they'd put her to bed.

She was fast asleep no doubt.

The two men entered the spare-room where the only thing found was a queen-sized mattress. They _could_ just snatch Roy's bed, but the archer was always cranky when he didn't get enough sleep, though maybe a night with Kaldur would change that. Even so, the spare room with the lonely mattress had, in a strange way, become theirs.

It was their place at Roy's place. Yup.

"We're not going to _do_ anything." It was a statement. Something was _not_ up for debate.

Wally raised an eyebrow. "Dude, I doubt she'd get it even _if_-"

"Again, it's the principle."

A small chuckle escaped the older male as he glanced over at Dick from behind his shoulder. He then took hold of his shirt and yanked it over his head, knowing dark blue eyes were eying his back with an interest they weren't able to ignore. "Is it _that_ unbelievable that I want to lie down with you and just talk?"

Dick let go of a small snicker as he too removed his shirt. "You mean when we _haven't_ gone through a near-death experience, an alien Invasion or a combined attack by various of our dear super-villains? Yeah. Pretty much." He smirked when he felt Wally send him a slight scowl. Then the redhead's gaze drifted off and he sighed. Dick, realising they were done with the teasing, put his hand on Wally's shoulder. "Hey… What's up with the frown?"

"Haven't gone through any of that stuff in a while, Dick. You know that." Wally shrugged and sat down onto the mattress, averting his gaze. He had a thoughtful expression on his face; quite normal when they ventured in on this particular topic. "… I miss it."

Sighing, Dick slumped down onto the mattress, eyes glancing up at the ceiling, and arms wrapping around the back of his head. "You'll always be part of the Team, Walls. If you ever decide to come back, I mean."

"I just don't know…" Wally looked down at his palms, and clenched it. "… maybe I was never cut out to be a hero."

"Is this about this speedster-pride thing?" Dick murmured. When he didn't get an answer he let go of a silent sigh, before hoisting himself up, strong arms wrapping around Wally from behind. Dick lightly kissed his shoulder, before whispering: "You're Wally West. You've got nothing to prove, nothing you _have_ to be. No one has the right to tell you how to live your life but yourself. It doesn't matter how fast you are or how strong you are. What matters is what you decide to do with _who_ you are."

Slowly, Wally turned his head and snorted a bit. But, the soft smile that always reassured him played over the speedster's lips, so Dick knew he'd reached him. Said acrobat cupped his cheeks and then gently kissed him, soft and slow. He continued to nibble on his lower-lip and prompted him closer, which caused Wally to fully turn and push him lightly down onto the mattress.

With slightly red lips, Dick broke the kiss, eyeing the older male. "I stand by what I said, Walls."

The speedster snickered. "So do I." He rolled onto the side and took Dick's hand, softly squeezing it. He brought the younger man close to himself, his lips going for the exposed collarbone, kissing it soft and slow while his hand travelled to rest on Dick's hip. He took in the smell – the pure _essence_ of Dick Grayson – before he pulled away and gazed into his boyfriend's eyes.

"You're such a cuddler…" Dick murmured, but with a fond, affectionate tone. His hand reached out to the side of Wally's head where he twirled his fingers into the red mass of hair. He smiled and despite his previous statement he felt the need to just… expose himself for him again. Unite in ways only he and Wally could.

Through the years they'd had relationships that didn't involve each other whatsoever. For him it had been Zatanna, Barbara, Kori – the alien Princess that joined the team years ago – and he'd even fooled around with Raven. Wally, on the other hand, had gone more of a steady route, dating Artemis until he was twenty-one, before finding Linda whom he dated until he was twenty-four.

Then… one night, in which both were single, oddly enough, they had just… kissed. All right, so maybe alcohol had been involved, but Wally could never really get drunk; just slightly frisky. The first weeks afterwards had been awkward to say the least, but then Dick had just served him a kiss again, tired of dwelling over whether it was the ten bottles of beer that had made it taste so good or not.

Needless to say, _not_ had been the answer.

Being with Wally had been the best decision of his life. It was like having everything you loved in one person. No stress about being the perfect date, because for Wally they could may as well sit at home, playing video games in their boxers and consuming pizza until they felt like puking. No constant thinking about being perfect, because if Wally cared about that he would've been gone a long time ago. No worrying about if he looked good, or if he acted the way he should, because Wally had seen both the best and the worst in him.

Being with Wally… made him feel the aster. Yeah, _aster_.

Wally shifted and Dick came closer to him in the process. He put his lips to the redhead's chest, kissing down the still lean, muscled body. He sighed through his nose, content, and completely struck by this overwhelming feeling of warmth radiating from his lover. He would never understand how Wally, unlike everyone else, had such an affect on him.

"I know you want a Lian…" Wally whispered, breaking the hazed state that had come over the acrobat. Dick stopped kissing his chest and instead he raised his head, their eyes hesitantly meeting.

When Wally didn't say anything else, Dick sighed and raised his upper-body from the mattress and gazed out into the darkness, his fingers twining into his black hair. "… it's not…" he paused, frowned and sent Wally a small glance. "… it's not a big deal."

"Come on, dude…" Wally rose too now, and this time it was his turn to wrap his arms around Dick from behind, his cheek laying itself on his lover's shoulder. "I see the way you interact with her. I know you envy Roy; I'm not dense."

Hearing that made Dick chuckle, if only slightly. "Could've fooled me."

"Ha-ha…"

For a long time neither spoke. They remained in the same position, Wally holding Dick close to himself while Dick's fingers reached for Wally's hand on his arm. Then, for what felt like hours for a certain speedster, Dick said: "I lost my family, Walls, but I got a new one. The new family is… different. I've lost one brother, and my adoptive father is a pain in the ass sometimes… and then there's the other brother who I prefer the most right now."

Another pause. Dick shifted, broke their position and took Wally's hands. "I love Tim. I love Alfred. I love Bruce… I… loved Jason…"

"But…?"

"But… what I really want… is to make my own. Doesn't have to be big. Doesn't have to be one hundred percent perfect… I just know I want it to include… you."

Once more the silence in the room surrounded them. Dick's eyes had closed, not sure if he had done the right thing voicing his wishes, but then he felt soft lips pressing against his own and hands stroking down his bare arms.

"Dude… you realise you kind of-sort of-in a way… proposed to me right now, right?"

A small, genuine laugh echoed through the room as Dick finally dared to look him in the eyes. He smirked and cupped his lover's cheeks, placing himself so that he was in Wally's lap now, legs on each side of his torso. "Hm… Guess I kinda did."

Wally didn't say anymore. He gently leaned in for another kiss, his tongue instantly seeking out Dick's, hands roaming the acrobat's body slowly, which was unlike the speedster. However, the explanation was simple. He wanted to preserve this moment. Wanted to hold on to it, because it was one of those perfect moments he and Dick shared that he was sure could never be repeated.

As they broke the kiss, Wally shifted his legs so that Dick's back now lay against the mattress. The younger male moaned softly along with the redhead as Wally positioned himself over him, mouth moving fast up all the sensitive places he knew Dick appreciated being touched.

"I love you…" Dick whispered, hand grasping the redhead's fiery hair. "… I always will."

"Hm… good thing the feeling's mutual then, huh?" Wally hummed against his cheek, kissing it, before pulling away to just… gaze into and admire the stunning, blue eyes. He smiled, and Dick returned it.

This truly was a perfect moment and nothing could break-

Abruptly, both men were snapped out of their thoughts when a shrill cry broke through the apartment. Wally hardly had time to brace himself, before Dick had shoved him away and made a run for Lian's bedroom. The speedster then sighed and plopped down onto their so-called bed. Even though the interruption was not appreciated, he smiled.

Dick would make a good dad.

**-o-**

"Tell me again why my daughter was sleeping in-between the two of you?" Roy asked when he'd put Lian to sleep once more after her meal. He crossed his arms and glanced at them with a raised eyebrow. It wasn't that he disliked the thought of Lian sleeping between his two best friends, but he found it rather… _peculiar _since it had not once occurred after they started occasionally babysitting her.

"Roy, I know it's early in the morning, but I told you – she didn't want to go to sleep again after she woke up. Well, not until she got to hold onto Wally's finger." Dick shrugged as he put on his jacket, a small smile ghosting his lips by the thought. It really had been weird how fast she'd gone back to sleep the moment the speedster had lent her his digit.

Roy glanced at Wally, then at Dick and shrugged his shoulders. "All right. You didn't have any other problems then?"

"Nope. She was an angel; as usual," Wally replied.

"Hm, good. Thanks for helping out, guys."

"Hey, man, no problem. Anytime."

Roy sent them a smile, and for Wally this was a confirmation that after the_ mission_ he and Kaldur had probably done some _catching up_, which resulted in a _relaxed Roy_. Oh yeah, the archer thought he could hide it, but he was failing miserably. His whole composure was shining of: "Haha, I got _somethin'_ last night".

As they were about to leave, Wally took Dick's hand and turned to the archer. "Hey, by the way, we're engaged now!"

Abruptly, Dick froze. Roy's widened eyes were downright hilarious to look at, and Wally smiled brightly as if not weird at all that they had not been engaged _before_ babysitting their best friend's daughter, but were _after_ the job was done.

"W-what?" Roy uttered disbelieved.

"Dick proposed!"

"It wasn't a _direct_ proposal, you doofus!" Dick finally stammered out as he hit Wally on the head.

"Ow, dude! It totally was!"

"I said…" Dick blushed, cleared his throat and looked away. "… that I wanted to start a family with you."

Wally frowned with a pout. "… And we're not getting married for that?"

As a small quarrel began in front of him Roy Harper could not help but smile, and tilt is head. He proceeded crossing his arms as he observed the two of them with knowing eyes. To him, they'd been married years ago. They just hadn't known about it themselves.

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_I proofread only **once** so please tell me if you find any typos/mistakes, whatever and I'll change it! Please review and tell me what you think! It would be much appreciated!_


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